Rail-clamp.



M. J. GREEN & A. G. OLSON RAiL CLAMP.

APPLICATION F| LEo1uLY27,l914. RENEwED MAY 26.1915.

l 9 14895 l l Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

@TATE PATENT FFi@E MARTIN J'. GREEN AND ANDREW Gr. OLSON, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

RAIL-CLAMP.

ina-aait.

Patented Ang. 3, 1915.

Application `llefl July 27, 1914, Serial No. 853,468. Renewed May 26, 1915. Serial No. 30,662.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, MARTIN J. GREEN and ANDREW G. OLsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful lmproveinents in Rail-Clamps; and we doliereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thev invention,.such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

This invention relates to rail clamps, and has for its object the provision of a rail clamp for the meeting ends of rails whereby the ends are positively clamped together and prevented from displacement, the clamp being spiked down or otherwise secured upon the ties.

in important object is the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture and in stallation, efficient and durable in service and a general improvement of the art.

Nith these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the meeting ends of two rails having our novel clamp applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the clamp detached, and Fig. l is a perspeca tive view of one-half of the clamp and a rail separated.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 5 designates one half of the clamping device which comprises a fla-t base 6 having a portion of its upper surface cutaway as shown at 7. An upstanding portion 8 is formed upon the base 6 at a distance from one of its side edges and embraces the bases and webs of the rails 9 and has its upper edge bearing against the under side of the balls of the rails. rl`he other half of the clamping device comprises a plate 10 disposed within the cutaway portion 7 and provided with an upstanding portion 11 embracing the bases and webs of the rails in the same manner as the portion 8. The webs of the rails 9 are provided with a plurality of holes 12 into which extend lugs 13 formed upon the portions 8 and 11 as by stamping. In order to force these parts tightly'together for clamping the meeting ends of the rails, we provide a rib 14: formed integrally upon the base 6 and having its inner face inclined in respect to the portion 11. A wedge 15 is disposed against the inner face of the rib 14 and abuts against the edge of the portion 11 at its `junction with the plate '10, the wedge 15 being prevented from displacement in respect to the rib ll by an overhanging iange 16 on the rib 1d which bears upon the top of the wedge 15.

The rails 9 and clamp formed by the plate 10 and portion 11 are properly disposed upon the base 6 after which the wedge 15 is inserted and driven forcibly between the junction of the clamp portion 10 and 11 and the rib 14. The wedge 15 is provided upon one end with a reduced portion 17 threaded for the reception of a nut whereby the wedge is prevented from longitudinal displacement after it is once positioned. The other end of the wedge 15 is provided with an upstanding lug 19 adapted to be struck by a ham mer or sledge when it is desired tc move the wedge.

It will be noted that the inner edge of the plate 10 does not come into contact with the shoulder 20 formed on the base 6 by the cutawayr portion, thereby allowing suilicient movement of the parts that they may be rigidly clamped together.

lt is an important feature to prevent the rails 9 from creeping within the clamp. In order to accomplish this purpose, lugs 21 are provided upon the inner face of the portion 8 and 11 which engage within recesses Q2 cut into edges of the bases of the rails.

The base plate 6 is provided with open- .ings 23 for the reception of spikes whereby the device may be secured upon a tie.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawing it will be apparent that we have thus provided a simple, novel and' efficient device whereby the meeting ends of rails will be secured upon a tie and clamped relatively to each other and whereby the necessity for bolts is eliminated and also whereby creeping of the rails relatively to each other is positively prevented.

It will be readily understood that we reserve the right to make various changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or limiting the scope of the subjoined claims.

from the edge of the other section, said rib having its upper edge terminating in an overhanging rib, a Wedge member having an inclined face for engaging the vsimilar face of the rib, said ymember terminatingat one end in a screw threaded shankl for engage-` ment by a nut to prevent accidental displacement of the wedge member, the major ',endfnof said wedge member having'an upstanding head which projects above the up# lper edge of saidiiange, as and for the p urposefset forth. I 2. Incombination with theabutting ends yofa pair ofrails, a clamp comprising a base having a cutaway portion in its upper face and an upstanding rib formed thereon and having its inner face inclined relatively to the rails, an upstanding portion on said base embracing the bases and webs of the rails, a plate disposed within said cutaway portion and provided with an upstanding portion embracing the other side of the bases and webs of the rails, the bases of said rails Ybeing provided with recesses, lugs on the inner faces of said upstanding portions seating within said recesses, and a wedge abutting against said rib and said last named upstanding portion, said wedge being threaded upon one end and provided with a nut, and said wedge being further pro vided with an upwardly extending head.

In testimony whereof, we aiiix our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN J. GREEN. v ANDREW G.. OLSON.

4 TWitnesses:

YV. T. BALLARD, TONY BLYNSTRUB.

Copies of l'this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

" Washington, D. C. 

